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Ginger-Miso Cabbage Salad

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Perfect for packed lunches or picnics, this is even easier to put together if you can use the shredding attachment on a food processor.

Salad:
200g red cabbage, shredded
150g white cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
2 tbsp golden raisins or cranberries
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a frying pan until golden

Dressing:
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
pinch dried ginger
1 heaped tsp yellow miso

Directions:
1. Mix all of the salad ingredients.
2. Mix all of the dressing ingredients.
3. Mix the dressing into the salad.

Mexican Beans and Rice

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Ideal for packed lunches, this is a budget recipe that cooks up relatively quickly and serves 4.

Ingredients

250g rice, uncooked (produces 500g cooked rice)
2 x 400g cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, finely diced
100g frozen peas
100g frozen sweetcorn
80g cabbage (we used the tough outer leaves of our sweetheart cabbage), finely shredded
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
150g salsa
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the packet directions.
2. Meanwhile, steam or boil the carrots, cabbage, frozen peas, and sweetcorn, until done to your liking. We added the kidney beans too, because sometimes those in tins can be slightly undercooked.
3. Add the cooked vegetables, beans, and cherry tomatoes to a large frying pan or saucepan with the water/broth, salsa, and garlic powder. Cook until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).
4. Serve the rice with the bean and vegetable mix.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

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This is a budget and speedy recipe that’s perfect for packed lunches; it makes enough for a large plate for four, or for a starter for eight.

Ingredients

For the salad

1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cucumber, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 small cooked beetroot, finely diced
5 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
3 dried apricots, finely chopped
3 dates, finely chopped

For the dressing

1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp soy sauce
Small bunch fresh coriander, torn

Method

1. Sauté the onion over a medium low heat in a nonstick pan for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the 1/4 cup vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, and add the chickpeas and spices. Cook over a low heat until the liquid is evaporated (5-7 minutes). Allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a smaller bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together to combine.
5. When the chickpeas are cooled, stir through the salad ingredients. Serve with dressing.

Serving suggestion:
Beetroot hummus
Toasted seeds
Pita bread or cooked grains (e.g. rice or couscous)